Harness racing's greatest traveling roadshow, the CKG Billings Harness Driving Series, is on the move again. On Saturday, (May 26) Freehold Raceway hosted a Billings trotting event and for the third time in amateur contests over the past week a lady is once again the champ.
Emulating previous amateur winners Jennifer Lappe and Monica Banca, Annie “Get Your Gun” Stoebe turned the tables on the boys when she went down the road unchallenged and coasted home an easy three-length winner with Uriel in a time of 1:58.3.
After seven trotters had lined up behind the mobile starting gate, Stoebe gunned her charge to the front from the two-hole and they were four lengths ahead of the field when the quarter-pole timer flashed :28.4.
Still leading the way by the half, albeit by only two lengths, that margin was dramatically increased to eight lengths as she led Orange Biji and driver “Mighty Matt” Zuccarello into the final turn. Still six lengths to the good at the top lane the announcer told fans holding mutuel tickets with Uriel's number to get in line to collect.
Orange Biji made up some ground in the stretch but at the finish it was Uriel and Stoebe on top by a solid three lengths. After he recovered from going offstride early in the mile, Evore Hanover (with driver David “Poppa” Glasser at the controls) garnered the show dough.
Stoebe owns the winner, a seven-year-old Explosive Matter gelding, who paid $8.80 to his backers. It was the third seasonal and fourth lifetime driving victory for Stoebe, who began her career in the sulky just last season.
Over the Memorial Day weekend the international Billings Harness Driving Series will have contests in Canada -- Sunday at Flamboro Downs and Monday at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Billings Series)